The path that a Muslim takes to become a follower of Christ is not a straightforward or easy one. Yet the stories told to one researcher by over a thousand Muslim background believers reveal that there are markers along the way that regularly point Muslim seekers from all over the world in this direction.
One marker is the Qur’an. As many Christians do with the Bible, Muslims have clung to the Qur’an as the core of their faith. They have memorized and treasured it, even though they have often not even understood it. But this is changing. Before his death in 2005, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia sponsored the translation of the Qur’an into languages all over the world. Thinking it would advance Islam, Fahd would be amazed to learn that it’s had the opposite effect.
Abdul, a movement leader in South Asia, was asked how he came to faith in Jesus Christ. He answered, “It began when I read the Qur’an in my own language. Before that I had memorized most of it in Arabic, even though did not understand Arabic. When I read it in my own language, I understood for the first time: it had no plan of salvation, no assurance that if I was a good Muslim I would go to heaven.” For Abdul, that was the beginning of his search for salvation, which ended with his reading the New Testament and surrendering his life to faith in Jesus Christ.
Another marker is raised in the stories about Muhammad. Muslims revere the Prophet Muhammad, but those who diligently study the Qur’an and the Hadiths (stories taken from the life of Muhammad), report contradictions with the common legend of a gracious and generous leader. They are disturbed by a prophet of God who would alter the divine revelation when it suited him, amass wealth at the expense of conquered foes, and spread his religion at the point of a sword. Such discomfort can be the first step on a journey to another way of believing.
One final marker, echoed in the testimonies of many Muslims who have journeyed to a new faith, is found in the endemic violence that has plagued Islam for 14 centuries. The idea that Islam is a religion of peace is shattered by Muslims who live with the reality of war and violence every day. When we see outbreaks of Islamic violence reported, remember that most of the victims are Muslims, and many of these Muslims are rejecting that violence to follow the Prince of Peace.
LET’S PRAY
- Pray for Muslims who are questioning their faith, that they will meet others who have walked that journey and found it led them to Christ.
- Pray for scholars and teachers to study Islam with honest, seeking hearts and courage to question.
- Pray for those Muslims who decide to follow Jesus, that they will find fellowship and peace within their new faith.
Post credited to the editors at Worldchristian: visit http://www. worldchristianconcern.org/donate to support mission efforts to reach the unreached for Christ.
